Mon, Aug 12, 2013
Parachuted To Safety After Opening The Locked Enclosure
File this one under "don't try this at home." A Wisconsin escape artist placed an unusual twist on the classic "escape from a locked box" stunt ... the locked box holding 47-year-old Anthony Martin was shoved out of an airplane at 14,000 feet.
Martin described the stunt in a news release prior to the jump. "Martin will be handcuffed by an area locksmith before donning a parachute and being locked in a freight box with a "keyless" lock. Locksmiths will scramble the lock combination prior to the attempt rendering its existing key nonfunctional. He will then be shoved out of the cargo bay of an aircraft at a height ten times that of the Empire State Building in a daring race with death.
"Martin, 47, will have to free himself from the plummeting missile as it speeds to the earth at 140 miles per hour."
The jump took place in Serena, IL, about 70 miles southwest of Chicago Tuesday. The container carrying Martin was pulled out of the Shorts SC7 Skyvan by a stabilizing drogue chute, and several other jumpers went out as well. Martin emerged from the box at about 6,500 feet, pushed himself away from the box, and parachuted safely to the ground, according to the Associated Press.
It was the second time he had performed the stunt. The first time was back in 1988, on just his 17th skydive. He learned the sport specifically to accomplish the escape from the container in freefall. He said the stunt will be "hard to follow."
(Image from YouTube video)
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